“There's no panic but we're not happy”

The only reason that explains it for me is that he has lost the dressing room, in which case, we may as well look for alternatives.

Bin him now and get Alan Irvine in. He didnÂ’t have the squad at WBA like we have.

In my opinion, he should take the honorable way out, but we know money talks, and he will get a pretty penny for being sacked.

IÂ’m certain heÂ’s lost the players now, the players look disinterested and disorganized. Once the rot sets in its nigh on impossible to turn it round.

Each and every one of them needs to have a serious word with themselves. Have we got anyone who is in any sort of form. Have we got anyone who is showing any sign of passion. Roberto has got January to find a couple of players who will do the ugly stuff and stand up for themselves I am fed up of being out fought in every match otherwise the same players are going to get him the sack.

Yes I’m panicking – and losing sleep. Can’t see where next point is coming from...I’m not into knee-jerk sackings, but it feels like its do or die for us now. After a poor to middling start to the season, but topping the EL – I didn’t see this coming with such destructive speed.

I still say dominating games/possession is not a bad thing – but 66% possession and just 1 cross from open play (just before 1st goal) means he just doesn’t get it!

We know we haven’t much cash – so cant afford to let RM spend any whilst he looks shot. Ergo – we need a new manager. A new leader. JR/Dunc as caretakers not a bad shout.

NSNO!

All I am thinking is itÂ’s not going to be a happy January and February with Martinez in charge.

Martinez has totally lost it in every sense of the word, I have to agree with that now but IÂ’m disgusted if I think there are players out there not pulling their weight if they want the manager sacked, no matter who they are, if this is the case then I want them out of my club tomorrow.

I read at a interview with a Man United player saying how they werenÂ’t doing it for Moyes and wanted him gone... cunts.!

Martinez will be gone by the end of January if we are still in the sane boat because itÂ’s not getting any better at the start of February with the Redshite and Chelsea away back to back.

IÂ’m just so gutted at so much this season.
As someone says the results are bad enough but you cannot enough console yourself that were are playing well and losing, because we are NOT.
We got hammered out of site today just as we did at Southampton and at Newcastle, letÂ’s be honest that was closer to a 4-1 at times than a 3-2.

When we go behind you just invariably know the game is gone, only two draws have we saved from games we have been behind in (and letÂ’s be honest weÂ’ve been behind in a lot)

We have squandered away so many games due to errors that IÂ’d be embarrassed to see in a school playground.

If we are talking about shifting deadwood then take a look at this list...

Howard
Hibbert
Pienaar
Distin
Gibson
Barry
Osman
McGeady
Alcaraz
Robles

How can any of these still be here this time next year?
What are they possibly going to offer next season when they canÂ’t even offer anything now?
Your looking at half a squad there and maybe you could even include the likes of EtoÂ’o who in another 6 monthÂ’s will be even further down the line in his career.
Jagielka will be another year older and slower, more prone to injury.
Then you have the likes of Lukaku, I mean what do you with a guy you paid 28 million quid for but has basically been outperformed by a QPR striker who a few years ago was a brickie? (Charlie Austin)

This Everton team is in for a major major transition over the next few seasonÂ’s.

I have been saying on TW for some time that this man is out of his depth and every game that goes by, proves this to be fact and his delusional utterances are a total embarrassment.

If he is given January, it will only serve to put this great club I have supported for 60 years into grave danger of going down and only one person is responsible for that - RM should go NOW, not given January to "put it right with a couple of signings" - he hasnÂ’t got the ability to turn this around, he should go without delay.

I donÂ’t agree with players not giving their all for the club but it has most definitely happened on more than one occasion this season and there are no signs of improvement in fact things are beginning to look worse after each game is concluded. Bill will have to make a statement sooner or later and either back or sack the manager - itÂ’s his decision to make, I just hope he bases that decision on football and not on other things.

When I read that a supporter who has travelled to an away game has left the stadium with eighteen minutes to play that says there is something far more wrong than just losing matches.

When your one a terrible run like we are you simply cannot do that and have any credibility left

Its been the same level of performance for ages and this was the worst by far

He has lost it, seemingly lost the players which is shameful and doesnÂ’t seem to see all the problems that 99% of the fans see.

Kenwright wont sack him and we will finish between 10th and 14th if we are lucky

Its been utter bollocks on and off the field this season

IÂ’m thoroughly ashamed of the the playing staff and the clueless manager

Supported this club for 32 years and seen some fucking dark times but when I read shite like this it makes my blood boil

FUCKING SET OF IDIOTS or plant pots as my Evertonian Granddad Jim would have said

Why wouldnÂ’t they?

Last year they all loved him. So whatÂ’s happened to change it???

I never, ever, thought I would say this but the only way to sort out the mess is by appointing a tough, unsentimental bastard who has been round the block and knows what HAS to be done.

After two hours of thought, the only name I came up with was Rafa Benitez. God forgive me !

However I agree with you they must really stink if the fans are leaving with nearly twenty minutes to go.My sons and grandsons go to most of the away games and that is what riles me, to see them spend time and money and not get the effort out of the team that they have every right to feel entitled to.

The manager, players and everyone connected to the club should feel ashamed of this lack of effort by all concerned.

We then take on Manager at the opposite end of the spectrum, comfortable with risk and it works. It works because we have a good grounding and discipline. We also had David Weir and Alan Stubbs, two Evertonians, strong leaders and defence-minded. It is no surprise to me that the lose of these two influential characters culminates in a team both defensively naive and lacking in character. Have they been replaced and if so who by?

As an Evertonian, I am confused. If we hadnÂ’t achieved the results of last year is be saying enough is enough and letÂ’s try and get Moyes back as I see no other candidate in the market of adequate standard. Do we take the risk and give him to the end of the season? Where are our next points coming? We have had bad patches in the past and worked through them. However this to me feels different. I lack the deep down sense of feeling we will ride through it. I canÂ’t help thinking this is how Wigan demised and but for the grace of some poor sides we are down. If we were to replace, who could lead us forward?

I am so frustrated at the thought of this man taking this club down - and those who think it wonÂ’t happen because there are clubs below us who wonÂ’t catch us - think again - look at the managers of those clubs, they will be licking their lips at the thought of 3 points off EFC right now.

Bet he would snap BKs hand off as well.

Sack all the seemingly useless backroom staff.

Martinez cannot turn this around as it would mean changing his principles and philosophy on the game

CanÂ’t be having with losing possession, can we.

What games I did see were, abysmal defeats to teams like QPR & Spurs, the odd draw against Villa or West Ham, really difficult to watch stuff, obviously under Moyes we stabilised and became difficult to beat.

I was at the Hull game today (in the Main Stand) with Father-in-Law and a friend, what I witnessed to today was nothing short of disgraceful, shambolic, blah, blah, blah.

The team has no leader (I love Jags but he has no leadership), no organization, we set up with Alcaraz, Jags and Barry with Coleman and Baines pushed on and the rest sort of in the middle somewhere. Any team that makes TWO changes at half time with no sign of injuries to players speaks volumes, then we find Naismith in holding role with Baines, Alcaraz was always going to be sent off, give away a penalty or score an own goal, Robles well................

How Martinez can stand there and watch it and not do anything beggers belief, at no point did I see one sub warming up, so there was never any intention of changing things.

We looked like amateurs pretending to be Premiership players, on at least 3 occasions we had a free kick where you would normally loft it into the box and create chance, every one was passed back to Jags who then passed it back to Barry poorly and then we lost possession, throw ins were the same and corners, hahahahahahh didnÂ’t beat the 1st man once.

In short, on that performance, we are relegation fodder. I couldnÂ’t argue with my companions because I couldnÂ’t defend our performance, at least if we had tried then you can say we had a go but the better team won, we didnÂ’t try, we didnÂ’t even look like trying, we are actually in the poorest state of disrepair I have ever seen in my opinion and it hurts like hell.

Sadly itÂ’s a guessing game but we definitely have a very unhappy dressing room. The bench today looked like a morgue.

I saw a stat showing we had made the fewest crosses into the box than any other team this season. Baines made the most crosses of any player in the league last season. Another key reason for our lack of goals.

IÂ’m surprised thereÂ’s only 2!!

Anyone with a modicum of sense – including the dog – would realise this clown’s ideas are shite.

I know our results and performances have been way way below what we would regard as a minimum, but I still feel that Martinez deserves the benefit of the doubt. Before everyone points out all his failures, IÂ’m aware of them, having watched the recent games like the rest of us.

Personally I prefer to hope the man can turn it around, given what he achieved last season, rather than scream for his head. IÂ’m also not sold on the argument that says the only reason we were so effective last season is because the ghost of David Moyes lingered in the dressing room, inspiring the kind of defensive solidity which has recently deserted us.

DoesnÂ’t the highest ever PL points tally mean Martinez deserves more time?

Or maybe our saving grace if enough cojones are shown?

From now on, unless IÂ’m 110% sure, IÂ’m keeping my mouth shut.

ps: Oviedo only got a go today because Garbutt wasnÂ’t included. HeÂ’s another one in the doghouse.

Historically EtoÂ’o seems most likely. Pienaar and Distin probably have best reason not to be his biggest fan.

IÂ’m not a big fan of player-power at clubs. Equally IÂ’m not a big fan of gutless performances.

Manager has to take responsibility for all of it IÂ’m afraid, thatÂ’s the job.

I look at AVB and how quick Chelsea and Spurs were to get rid of him. His reputation was in tatters at such an early age but the guy has resurrected his career in the USSR and I bet one or two of the big clubs in Europe are keeping an eye on him.

IÂ’d hate it if Martinez was forced out now only to prove us all wrong further down the line. But, like I said, he needs to turn this around NOW!!!

He should have come on for Kone after 60 minutes and if you sign a finisher play him up front!!!

I can make a guess who I think it is but its pointless really

Really sad state of affairs at EFC

Before anyone asks, thatÂ’s from a first team memberÂ’s dad I know...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30653588

Can you please explain to me how Bilic "knows the place"?

He played a handful of games, was always injured and lasted a handful of months.

I donÂ’t believe he is a clueless idiot as many state. If so, he is the first clueless idiot IÂ’ve ever seen set us up to out play Arsenal, for example.

I guess only time will tell. Clearly his defensive record at Wigan was very poor, something we were all worried about when he took over I imagine. If he doesnÂ’t sort it out, I will be happy to see him go. IÂ’m not worried about how he comes across or what he says to the press. It may be annoying but itÂ’s not critical in my opinion.

Having said that, his days were numbered after the Southampton capitulation. HeÂ’s had half a season to figure out that twating around at the back doesnÂ’t work for us and he still hasnÂ’t learned his lesson.

But please donÂ’t replace him with Stubbs. He seems so thick that it borders on a disability.

Do we have to drop into the bottom three before the penny drops! I am of the firm belief that enough is enough and he should go now before it is too late.

Now, we can blame the chairman or the players, but the person most directly responsible for the here-and-now on-field activities is the manager. If he has lost the dressing room, that may indeed be a shame on the players; but in effect, it is an even greater shame on the manager.

Did he not embarrass the club through his misuse of FIFA credentials during the World Cup? Did he not fail the club again by an absolute farce of a pre-season that saw players start the campaign lacking proper fitness? And hasnÂ’t he repeatedly embarrassed us with absurd rose-tinted views of shambolic performances or talking up our players ("I would pay 𧴜 million for Lukaku")?

Sure, none of those things in isolation should be sackable offences. But they paint a trend, a vector, if you will, that shows an absence of good judgement in matters most central to his profession, and the players see it. HeÂ’s therefore a liability who needs to go before the club gets sucked into a relegation melee.

What I would say is that I would like to see Everton managers given time to implement their plan. I am a firm believer that Martinez did not achieve what he did last season by luck, therefore I am willing to give him until closer to the end of the season. I donÂ’t think we will be relegated.

So farewell to Bainsey, Ross and Seamus and then the inevitable drop of doom with a Wigan vs Everton fixture next season. WTF.

Some of the other suggestions iÂ’ve heard today, have included Peter Reid, Duncan Ferguson and Roy Keane, if this is the best we can do, then we may as well stick with Martinez. He really needs to learn to appreciate the art of the defending though!

His blind emÂ’ with science has failed and now he is doing the baffle emÂ’ with bullshit stage.

ItÂ’s been reported that Garbutt told the press that the team had no clue about tactics against Newcastle and hence was dropped from the squad today.

It’s been reported that John Stones told the manager he was not fit enough to play against Stoke City but Martinez played him anyway – then he gets injured again – Eto’o then allegedly told Stones that Martinez would ruin his career...

I dont know how true these stories are but very worrying if this is what is going on in the dressing room.

If we were to win half of our remaining PL matches - which would be some achievement given our fixture list and current form - we would only have 48 points at the end of the season a massive 24 points down on last season despite paying 㿈m for a striker.

All the signs point to Everton having 40 or less points at the end of the campaign which will be touch and go for the relegation places, depending on other teams results in the remaining fixtures.

I guess the difference in opinion lies in how the club rectify this situation. Some people believe that Martinez has proved beyond all doubt that he cannot do better than he is doing now, not only that but that there is a ready made alternative waiting in the wings who can instantly turn things around In a way which is totally obvious to the entire world (exlcuding Roberto Martinez). I simply donÂ’t agree with this view.

Why do people refuse to accept not just what is statistical fact, in front of your very eyes for 90 minutes twice a week and written in the annals of history with his elegantly worded statements of denial after every game – that we stink the place out!!! Martinez’s tactics donÂ’t work, his lack of discipline doesnÂ’t work, his blasé attitude to fitness doesnÂ’t work, his blasé attitude to defending doesnÂ’t work...

To sum it up, heÂ’s not good enough, and thatÂ’s being very kind. HeÂ’s lost the squad, a lot of the fanbase, any respect in the footballing world and media, and a hell of a lot of games. Our form since April is relegation form and we have a very good side and squad, better than what Moyes had for probably 9 out of the 11 seasons he was in charge.

They need to be rooted out and shown the door sharpish irrespective of whether RM keeps his job or not.

For what itÂ’s worth IÂ’ve been a big RM fan but the reality is heÂ’s got next 3 games to start a revival. Cup win plus 4 points v Man City and West Brom.

Even if he bought in decent players his lack of attention to the defensive set-up and his intransigence on the playing style would still be there and many of the Goodison faithful would remain sceptical about his methods.

I donÂ’t see a solution to the current situation without sacrificing the manager. The team needs the supporters behind them and the supporters have to believe in what their manager is doing or attempting to do and I believe the rift between the support and the manager is too great to bridge - but I have been wrong before so it isnÂ’t a given.

But the Everton season can still be turned around if they can get Stones and Mccarthy fit, because they are missing these players who have a spring in their step with a youthfulness. But both Barry and Alcaraz should be put out to grass, before they cause any more defensive problems - their slowness of mind and foot are obviously embarrassing.

CanÂ’t argue with that. The stories of unrest within camp are worrying but finally makes sense of such a downfall in performances. ItÂ’s easy to say RM should read the riot act like Sir AF did with Stam, Beckham, RVN etc. Sir AF was the most successful manager ever! RM isnÂ’t!

For that reason, if there really is unrest due to his methods then the club have no option but to replace him, and quick!

The same person obviously maintains links with the club and occasionally he will tell me about certain things heÂ’s heard. Now IÂ’ve never claimed that any unrest at the club is causing Martinez to make so many mistakes recently. In fact, I agree with you that our football has been dire too often this season. So, If he goes he goes. IÂ’d like him to try and sort it out but if this run continues then I realise his situation will become untenable.

On the other hand, if he does have a few shit stirrers in the squad I hope he gets rid of them before he leaves.

If he gets rid of the Â’twoÂ’ bad apples, will we return to form?

RM is given some funds to improve the team this month, will we return to form?

I seriously doubt it!

IÂ’m as worried as anyone but am the first to admit IÂ’ve no idea whatÂ’s going on. However, hereÂ’s Leighton Baines talking about OFM around the time he was sacked from United:

"ItÂ’s really hard. The important thing is the start. When you go in everyone is sussing each other out and from both sides. If you start well as a player when a new manager comes in the first impressions are positive. It can also work the other way."

"We started with a few draws and everyone was kind of sitting on the fence, and then we beat Chelsea and went on a bit of a run. That game was massive."

"Even if you look back, we nearly conceded a ridiculous goal trying to play out of defence. What if that had of gone in and you lose the game because of it? It was the tipping point. If we had lost maybe people would have started to want what they had before. But we went on a run.

"They are fine lines. Beating Chelsea gave us the lift and made us kick on. We were trying to buy into all the new ideas and concepts but itÂ’s the same with everyone. ItÂ’s a results-based business and until you start getting results, youÂ’re not going to buy into it. I guess over there [Manchester United] they never quite got going and, if they had, they would probably have been flying."

My concern is that RM states that we had chances. We only had two shots in the first half and I can only think of one save the keeper had to make - we were playing Hull and we made them look a good team which they obviously are not.

RM, look at your tactics as we are predicting the next square or backwards pass in the crowd so it must be easy for the opposition.

And I have to ask, who was the twat at EFC that allowed the Echo uncontrolled access to Garbutt? If heÂ’d been in a 5-0 winning side then fine. But not when heÂ’d just made his debut in a shambolic loss. Seems symptomatic of EFC at the moment.

Players are argumentative in every level of the game and it is just as bad in the lower divisions. When teams are going through losing runs the arguments in the dressing room increase. Last season I bet there were not too many Â’off courtÂ’ shindigs.

Players mentioned on here include those who have quite recently signed new contracts .I honestly do not believe twaddle written on here unless it is substantiated and not second hand hear say.

This is a time when real fans get behind the team and stop castigating individual players and show that they are supporters. I have supported Everton through the ups and downs of relegation, the highs of trophy wins and the near misses of both relegation and title wins.

We had the highest points ever earned by us in the Premier League last season but failed to strengthen the squad sufficiently to meet the extra fixtures of this season.

Our squad was never big enough and I actually said this before the season began. Our youngsters are a pretty poor crop compared to elsewhere so we should have brought in new blood of premier league standards.

Through injuries we are now bringing the likes of Atsu back on the bench when he was supposed to be injured and back at Chelsea. This is the toughest test of our limited squad so FFS get behind them.

Martinez should never have give him a contract extension at the end of last season and he should have his contract terminated immediately and take those players with him who are not up to the fight.

I hope Martinez comes out fighting if this rumour is true. Player power is bollocks. We as fans can moan and boo as much as we like cos we have no conflict of interest. Players who donÂ’t like passing and controlling the ball in tight spaces are likely to rebel.

IÂ’m not making excuses for Martinez as he has to grow a pair of bollocks and sort these players out for the sake of those who travelled today.

Sad times for our great club.

A bit heavy / serious in relation to what, after all, is only tittle tatle at this point?

What a poor post. It just needed the cheesy 'COYB' at the end of it.

As someone once said - never let a crisis go to waste...!

After today's game I've got some sort of apprehension. I know deep down we haven't got the stomach for a fight. We've chucked in the towel. The manager uses all the flowery language in the world to suggest why. But to my mind he's lost the players.

As far as sacking him is concerned, who the hell is gonna do that? Thank goodness for the parachute payments!

Newcastle and today won't have helped matters.

Is it inevitable that a club as poorly run with such little investment will eventually fall ? I prey no! But have my concerns that some of the fans as well as the players might have given up.

I feel like it's a war of attrition supporting Everton and often wonder how long we can maintain our current position in the top flight.

Short term we can replace RM, however can we replace the general malaise I felt amongst some of the fan base with real hope for the future? This sentiment is far more important to our club than a fly by night footballing philosophy on the pitch.

In short - are the fans giving up as well as the players? Obviously not on these boards, however these boards do not count for the majority of match going blues'.

Of course he still has a chance of retaining his position but I would imagine the axe has been taken out of storage and will be sharpened before the end of this month. With a fixture list that includes games against the two title contenders, two relegation rivals and our neighbours in the next five Premier League games, it wouldn’t surprise me if it is used sooner rather than later.

But will BK gamble on the fans rallying if Roberto is removed or will he gamble that Roberto will get enough results in time to save his job?

Big Joe is the only candidate that springs to mind who could muster enough spirit to grind out 18-20 points and then take stock at the end of the season.

Martinez may have the cup game as either respite or to seal his fate.

Saying all that , this is Kenwright so gord only knows what will happen.

However these sites only show a small fraction of Everton's supporters The real show of the supporters emotions towards the manager will I believe show up with those supporters who attend the next 2 home games.

Good luck Mr Martinez.

We seem to have forgotten how to attack and defend, and it seems Martinez's 'philosophy' is more important to him than winning football matches. As players that would seem to be ridiculous, being asked to turn up every day for training to do stuff that you know doesn't work.

I imagine the players know enough about football to want to work on attacking, defending and set pieces, and Martinez asks them to pass, pass and pass. To be frank, all professional football teams are good at passing when they're 2-0 up. It's not something you need to practice that much. The difficult bit is getting 2-0 up, you need to practice that.

I can understand him leaving Distin out due to age but why not give Tyias Browning a game there?

That's something else that boggles the mind with Martinez.
He gives Browning game time away to Liverpool and Man United yet he'd rather prefer to play Barry, a guy who is never in a million years mobile enough to make a centre half in the rough and tumble Premier League.
Watching the highlights again has anyone else noticed how big Barry looks?

Martinez has made too many suicidal decisions over the last year.

Your right!
Even throughout some of Moyes worst season's in charge, and I can think back to season's such as the early part of 2010/11, we struggled scoring goals but we were battering teams, I was at Villa Park and Fulham in the first month of that season, we hadn't won a game by the end of September but I remember thinking "we are playing well enough here to get out of the trouble"

Now, all through this season our performance levels have gradually gone from bad to worse.

Can anyone recall a game this season were they thought "wow! that was great, we were outstanding today?"

No me neither.

Same after the humiliating performance at Southampton before Christmas, I'm sitting there thinking "we will really get at Stoke and put them to the sword or at least at Newcastle, or Hull"

Nothing, no hunger no fight just sideways football played at such slow a pace that you'd think we were still on a Thai beach doing a pre-season tour.

Lacking hunger, desire, passion to put it right.

The FA cup game is almost meaningless now and all eyes are on the city game. If we lose that then surely that will be the end. How can any manager survive 5 league defeats on the trot?

We'll likely have a new manager in two weeks time.

The bookies are being guided by our reputation and last season's record. A season when we played with great confidence with Barry, McCarthy, Barkley, Osman, Pienaar, Deulofeu, Lukaku, Oviedo, Baines, Coleman, Jags, Distin and Stones playing important roles.

Alas, one year on and things are not the same. Delboy has departed and all the rest have suffered injuries of one kind or another, confidence has disappeared and we are performing like a bunch of faint hearted strangers. The number one keeper is out till February, we're still involved in the Europa League and the FA Cup and we're dropping like a stone in the Premier League.

To stay up we need a massive improvement or three of our rivals to completely fall apart. It won't be easy but we'll leave the panic button till late Feb or March when we may have a settled team and an organized defence.

As for the manager. That's up to BK. I Don't care who it is. The Club comes first and right now it needs a mighty shake-up.

There certainly looks like there is something seriously wrong between the manager and a lot of the players and it has to be sorted out, very soon one way or the other or we all know the consequences.

Phenomenonal = Shit
Togetherness = Disunity
Leaders = Cowards
Amazing = Shit
Fantastic = Shit
World Class = Championship Class
Confidence = Fear
Defence = Nothing
Quick = Slow
Organisation = Chaos
Philosophy = Cloud cuckoo land
Stubborn = Stupid
Fitness = Obesity
Effort = Laziness
Martinez = Delusional, Arrogant, Egotist.

The same players defended admirably last season so they haven't forgotten and need to take a huge share of this fury, professionals with enough game time under their belts to understand that urgency, desire and communication are factors that must remain constant to provide the platform for talent to flourish. These players know what it takes and need to remember they are men and start behaving so, rather than like little boys looking for somewhere to lay blame, grow up and take some responsibility!!

People who want RM out.... who else would we get???

But the change has to happen before the WBA game.

I'm not entirely feeling the suggestion though. Mark Hughes, capable, but not much beyond. Bilic is a no go for me, I doubt he would want to come anyway and I feel he would leave in a heartbeat. It would be great if Roberto had a moment of self realisation and appointed someone to complement his own weakness.

Alex Ferguson always had someone who seemed more even-minded at his side, Quieroz, McLaren, he wouldn't have appointed Roy Keane as his No 2 as two nutters kicking teacups and throwing hair dryers would not a summer make (as the saying doesn't go).

Something has gone seriously wrong in the club and the finger can only be pointed at the manager. A new man in charge, a completely different attitude and approach, and we would see these players perform completely differently.

I genuinely think we need to act now and at least give someone the opportunity to make a difference in the Jan transfer window; in four weeks time, their hands will be tied.

Martinez has failed by bringing Robles and Alcaraz in as cover for CB and GK and now we are paying the price.

The answer is, there's always someone available; whether they're better or worse we won't know until they get the job.

Whether he would be open to leaving the USA is debatable. But he seems to understand the game and isn’t averse to grinding out results when necessary and doubtless he would have the respect of the dressing room – but it’s probably an idea doomed to failure.

Not.

How many times has McCarthy been rushed back from his hamstring injury too quickly? Rewind back to April and Martinez, saying he wasn't prepared to rush Jagielka back from injury because of the World Cup. Bollocks to that – it was because Stones was flying and Martinez probably feels he's a better player. Maybe Jagielka felt aggrieved and maybe sub consciously blames the manager for his poor World Cup?

Fast forward to the first away game and look how shaky they both were at defending any high balls, and they just don't seem comfortable. Maybe they're scared because they don't know if there is any cover going to be there from the fullbacks?

Stubbs is the obvious choice short term, but he would probably want a longer contract, even if he is a "man who bleeds blue". Is he ready for this step up yet?

James McCarthy came to Everton because of the manager, a person who has been good for his career and someone he must obviously TRUST. If he was promised a better contract, if he performed well, and he's still waiting now, then Martinez, has obviously broken that trust.

They're only rumours at the minute, but if Spurs are going to pay 㿅 million for McCarthy, he has definitely kept up his side of the bargain, and must feel let down badly.

If we're not panicking then we are certainly not fighting either. It's okay staying calm on the pitch, but where's the fight?

Severance for Martinez, compensation for the new manager, and transfer funds. Can anybody see our board being capable of that – without player sales?

I can imagine the board partially listening to the fans and showing reluctance to invest with Martinez in this window!!! They won't back him and they won't sack him. Just hopeless drift as usual. Drift that has been there for a lot longer than Martinez. That's what's so worrying.

At season's start, we all welcomed Lukaku and thought Barry was a sensible signing. We all knew the team was getting on. We didn't replace Osman, although a lightweight, still a very useful player. We bought Besic and got Eto'o. We shipped out players, bringing in 㿔M and picked up McCarthy.

We should have had 𧴜M to get players in and trade players out. Martinez has tried to make a silk purse from the sows ear. Too many players not suited to this style of play. If senior player's are revolting, they can leave. We can play football under Martinez but whether player power undoes him we can only wait and see.

Other than those two, I'd maybe take a punt on Frank De Boar with the hope he could emulate the job his fellow countryman Koeman is doing at Southampton.

If we went with a domestic British manager it would be Steve McClaren hands down for me. One of the few top class number 2s who has successfully made the transition into management. I know he might not be popular with many. But this guy knows the European leagues, winning trophies in holland as well as doing a great job at Boro (didn't he get them to the Uefa Cup final or the semi's??) I've got a mate who's a massive Derby fan, and he's done a great job there on a limited budget. Motivating a group of players that were treading water under Nigel Clough.

As for Rafa, I know he's a good manager but I just couldn't warm to a guy who made such underhand remarks about our club.